


On Why These Kids Can Never Be Trusted With A Rescue Plan Under Any Circumstances

by Honestly Neptune (mypennameishidden)



Category: Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Blood, F/M, Kaz being an idiot, M/M, and super introspective at inappropriate moments, death of super minor charcter, inej actually is too annoyed to rescue him, like he doesn't have a name, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-15 19:52:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5797633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mypennameishidden/pseuds/Honestly%20Neptune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaz Brekker, in an attempt to rescue the girl he is too emotionally constipated to actually talk to, is almost killed and, instead of saving himself, decides to waste his time on introspection and figuring out a new career path. Inej is less than amused.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On Why These Kids Can Never Be Trusted With A Rescue Plan Under Any Circumstances

**Author's Note:**

> AKA what happens in the sequel (not at all) and why feelings should never be brought into high risk heist jobs (but they are anyway)

She was beautiful, and there was a knife to his throat, and she was beautiful, and he really didn’t know what was more important. She was alive and not bleeding profusely, which probably took up most of his attention, and damn him if he didn’t need to get his priorities straight because nothing should be more important than the knife to his throat, but  _ Inej  _ was. 

 

She always was.

 

She was beautiful, and alive, and glaring at him like he had insulted her gods, her honor, her family, and then spit on her knives all at the same time. It wasn’t part of his plan to die, but now she was free, and unharmed, and lucid enough to glare at him, so all was well. She would save him. Jesper, Nina, Matthias, or Wylan would save both of them, and then he could claim it was all part of his bigger plan and they would all see right through it and go along with him. It was going well.

Well, except for his blood; it dripped down all over his pristine white shirt, drenching it like it was all part of a heavy-handed metaphor that he was sure Inej would love to shove in his face if not for the gravity of the situation. But, then again, when had his wraith ever cared for gravity?

 

( _ Or him,  _ his mind whispered, more pressing than any blade,  _ when had his wraith ever cared for him?) _

 

He elected to ignore the voice, in favor of imagining all the ways he could destroy Jesper and Weylan, who were probably finally working out their utterly ridiculous sexual tension at the most inopportune moment possible, instead of, you know, doing their jobs and taking care of the madman with the knife and the vendetta. He needed a better crew. 

 

He knew he should have told Nina to watch his back, she could have ended this dilemma with a gesture, but Kaz had really only had two people he fully trusted to watch his back before: one was standing on the other side of the room, unarmed, and the other was off, experiencing the full joys of a blossoming relationship. He would have even preferred Matthias over this, but he doubted the Fjerdan would do anything but laugh at the situation.

“You die here, Dirtyhands,” his assailant snarled, and Kaz was so offended he almost couldn’t reply. The only reason this was happening was because this guard was so entirely unimportant that Kaz had no reason to plan for him. He was going to be killed, his master plan destroyed, because it turns out this foolhardy and suicidal guard had a brother from Ravka who was ripped off in the Crow Club. 

 

(“We need to be quick,” Nina had pleaded, pouring over maps and schematics with the rest of their disjointed crew early into the morning as they made their desperate, ungraceful plan. “Not every guard is important.”)

 

Kaz didn’t believe in karma, or fate, or divine intervention, so the only reason this could be happening was a plan. Someone had planted him to destroy Kaz’s rescue. Probably Pekka Rollins, the rat bastard.

 

He knew the man with the knife wouldn’t kill him, but there was always the risk off his voice being destroyed, and Kaz had always heard that his delightful comments and superb conversational skills were the best part of him. Or the only part of him worth anything. “Now, now, you might not want to make threats like that. Who knows what’s waiting on the other side of the door? There might be a sharpshooter on the ledge up there, a heartrender under your feet, a wraith behind your back. A knife won’t solve your problems now.”

 

“A knife is enough to put any man down, Kaz,” Inej cursed from the other side of the room. It was empty, for now, but Nina and Mattias would eventually fall, unable to stem every hired mercenary. They could have been gone be now, to Ravka, or Ketterdam, or a nice, sunny beach on a nice, sunny island, but Jesper was too busy making his move during the middle of the second most daring heist of all time. He needed a better crew. A new job. He heard being a pirate was nice this time of year, and Kaz had always loved the sea.

“In my experience,” called a mocking voice from above, so full of undeserved smugness that it made Kaz wish his throat had been slit, “A bullet would do just as well.” There was a shot, and Kaz shoved himself sideways, taking the graze of his neck with nary a whimper. A small scar was better than a bullet hole.

 

The body behind him slumped forward, and the knife by his throat was replaced by hair, and he realized Inej was hugging him. Touching him. He wanted to scream, to flinch, to tear away again, but he realized if not Inej, then no one, if not now, than never. Kaz Brekker wasn’t the kind of man who put his faith in words like  _ never  _ or  _ impossible.  _ That’s why they saved Inej. That’s why Inej hugged him. That’s why Jesper and Wylan were up on the ledge, identical grins plastered on their faces, and that's why Nina and Matthias were running up to them, also not bleeding profusely. 

 

“Kaz,” Inej whispered into his neck, a warning, a prayer, a memory of the barrel, a vision of the future. A wraith, a Suli girl with too many knives and too little family, the one person he would let hug him. She was too many things, and Kaz was swept away in a storm he couldn’t care to whether. 

 

“Inej,” he breathed, hating himself for his weakness, loving her for being his weakness. He would be swept away, he would drown, but he wouldn’t care. Not if it was her. 

 

“Waffles?” suggested Nina, and as he heard the chorus of agreements, Kaz Brekker knew he was content.

**Author's Note:**

> main blog is milkywaygalaxsea.tumblr.com, come shout at me anytime.  
> writing blog is star-piled.tumblr.com  
> thanks for reading! leave whatever comments you like


End file.
